Editing Gavin Turk

{{Short description|British artist}}
{{EngvarB|date=October 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2019}}
{{Infobox person
| name        = Gavin Turk
| image       = Gavin Turk Beard Project, London, 10 April 2015.jpg
| image_size  = 
| caption     = Gavin Turk, ''Beard Project'' April 2015
| birth_name  = 
| birth_date  = {{birth year and age|1967}}
| birth_place = [[Guildford]], England
| website     = http://www.gavinturk.com
}}
'''Gavin Turk''' (born 1967)<ref name="artuk"/> is a British artist from Guildford in Surrey,<ref name="artuk"/> and was considered to be one of the [[Young British Artists]]. Turk's oeuvre deals with issues of authenticity and identity, engaged with [[modernist]] and [[avant-garde]] debates surrounding the 'myth' of the artist and the 'authorship' of a work of art.

==Early work==
[[File:Gavin Turk, 'Cave' Installation, 1991.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Gavin Turk, 'Cave' installation, Royal College of Art, 1991]]
Turk studied at [[Chelsea School of Art]] from 1986 to 1989,<ref name="artuk"/> and at the [[Royal College of Art]] from 1989 to 1991.<ref name="artuk">{{Cite web|title=Turk, Gavin, b. 1967 – Art UK|url= https://artuk.org/discover/artists/turk-gavin-b-1967 |access-date=2021-04-30|work=artuk.org}}</ref>

In 1991, tutors at the [[Royal College of Art]] refused to present Gavin Turk with his postgraduate degree,<ref name="artuk"/> a decision based on his graduation exhibition, which was titled ''Cave'', and consisted of a whitewashed studio space, containing a [[Blue plaque|blue heritage plaque]] of the kind normally found on historic buildings, commemorating his own presence as a sculptor, stating "Gavin Turk worked here, 1989–1991".<ref name="lumas"/> This bestowed some instant notoriety on Turk, whose work was collected by numerous collectors including [[Charles Saatchi]],<ref name="artuk"/> who later exhibited Turk's work in the exhibition [[Sensation (art exhibition)|Sensation]], which toured London ([[Royal Academy of Arts]]), Berlin ([[Hamburger Bahnhof]]) and New York ([[Brooklyn Museum]]). Turk attended the private view of the Sensation exhibition at the [[Royal Academy]], dressed as a down-and-out. The blue plaque from the ''Cave'' instillation was later exhibited in a museum style case as ''Relic (Cave)'',<ref>{{Cite web |title=Relic (Cave) |url=http://gavinturk.com/artworks/image/17/ |access-date=2022-08-03 |website=gavinturk.com}}</ref> he also had a version of it made by one of the  companies who make blue plaques for [[English Heritage]] and this is in the [[Tate]] collection.<ref name="cavey">{{Cite web |last=Tate |title='Cavey', Gavin Turk, 1991–7 |url= https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/turk-cavey-t13208 |work=tate.org.uk |access-date=2022-08-03}}</ref>

He has subsequently produced an extensive body of work, which purports to question the value and integrity of a hermetic artistic identity.<ref name="vam">{{cite web|url= http://www.vam.ac.uk/vastatic/microsites/photography/photographerframe.php?photographerid=ph070 |title=Photography – Victoria and Albert Museum |work=Vam.ac.uk |date=18 January 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20030727092009/http://www.vam.ac.uk/vastatic/microsites/photography/photographerframe.php?photographerid=ph070 |archive-date= July 27, 2003 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Turk was considered to be one of the group of artists known as the [[Young British Artists]].<ref name="pop">{{Cite web|url= http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/pop-life-art-material-world/pop-life-art-material-world-explore/po-9 |title= Pop Life: Art in a Material World |date=2009 |work=tate.org.uk |archive-date= August 3, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120803023623/http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/pop-life-art-material-world/pop-life-art-material-world-explore/po-9 }}</ref>

== Practice ==
[[File:Gavin Turk Death of Marat de Sade 1999 Iris print image 16¼ × 13⅞ inches (413 × 352 mm).jpg|right|thumb|150px|Gavin Turk, ''Death of Marat de Sade'', 1999, Iris print image, {{cvt|16+1/4|x|13+7/8|in|cm}}]]
Turk's wide ranging practice often incorporates iconic images of figures taken from popular culture and art historical sources. A series of detailed life-sized [[wax sculpture|waxworks]], incorporating the artist's own appearance, features the artist assuming various poses as different characters, including [[Sid Vicious]], [[Jean-Paul Marat]], and the [[Marxist]] revolutionary [[Che Guevara]].<ref name="lumas"/> Turk's most famous work in this series, ''Pop'' (1993), is a waxwork of Turk as Sid Vicious. The work appropriates the stance of [[Andy Warhol]]'s screen print of [[Elvis Presley]]. In the work, the right hand is pointing a gun, a motif which recurs in other works in the series, such as ''Bum'' (1998).<ref name="lumas">{{Cite web |last=Tate |title=Gavin Turk |url= https://uk.lumas.com/artist/gavin_turk/?msclkid=7ed33e5d0ef61045c9755a80dafa1280|work=uk.lumas.com|date=2023}}</ref>

Turk has appropriated recognisable elements from artists such as [[Jacques-Louis David]], [[Yves Klein]], [[Marcel Duchamp]], [[Andy Warhol]], [[René Magritte]], [[Alighiero Boetti]], [[Robert Morris (artist)]], [[Jasper Johns]] and [[The Death of Marat]] painting by [[Jacques-Louis David]].<ref name="lumas"/>

== Elvis Presley and Che Guevara ==
[[File:Gavin Turk - Pink Diamond Dust Elvis, 2005.png|left|thumb|150px|Gavin Turk, ''Diamond Pink Elvis'', 2005]]From 2005 Turk began producing a small number of silkscreen works on canvas, depicting himself as [[Elvis Presley]], in a pose taken from the paintings by Andy Warhol of the same subject from the 1960s, such as Warhol's ''[[Triple Elvis]]''. Turk applied diamond dust to some of the Elvis works made from diamanté applied to silkscreened canvas in vibrant pop colours, which sparkles in direct light. Examples of Turk's Elvis series are ''Diamond Yellow Elvis'', 2005 and ''Diamond Pink Elvis'', 2005.<ref name="elvis">{{Cite web|url= http://visualarts.britishcouncil.org/collection/artists/turk-gavin-1967/objects/all/initial/t |title= Visual Arts - Gavin Turk (1967 – ) Artworks |date=2014|website=visualarts.britishcouncil.org |access-date=November 7, 2017}}</ref> A set of what appeared to be [[Guerrillero Heroico|classic posters of Che Guevara in a beret]], again revealed themselves on further scrutiny to be photos of Turk himself.<ref name="elvis"/>

== Sculpture and public works ==
[[File:Damien Hirst Artist worked here 1999-2010.jpg|right|thumb|130px|''[[Blue Plaque]]'' by Turk]]
[[File:Gavin Turk, Nomad, 2002.jpg|left|thumb|150px|Gavin Turk, ''Nomad'', 2002]]
A series of three-dimensional [[trompe-l'œil]] works includes objects cast into bronze, painted to give the appearance of the original object. Possibly his most revered works, these include bronze sculptures of plastic rubbish bags, see "Bag" (2000). Other sculptures include ''Nomad'' (2002), a bronze cast of a sleeping bag, and ''Box'' (2002), which resembles a cardboard box. Turk is perhaps the leading exponent of the painted bronze, and has cast objects from spent matches to worn paving slabs to discarded vehicle exhaust pipes. [[File:Gavin Turk 'Nail', 2011, photo by Andy Keate.jpg|thumb|right|100px|''Nail'', 2011, photo by Andy Keate]]

In December 2009, Turk took part in the "Bricks" exhibition at Area 10 in Peckham in Southeast London. However, the day before the exhibition was to start, organisers noticed that his piece entitled ''Revolting Brick'' had been stolen and replaced with a fake brick. The fake brick held the words "Thank You Have a Nice Day, Next" and was part of a set of 500 that was given away at the exhibition. ''Revolting Brick'' was number eight in a series of ten that Turk had created and signed. The artist stated that he "was upset but flattered" at what had happened and that the theft "raises questions about value and worth".<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-news/6760478/Gavin-Turk-brick-worth-3000-is-stolen-and-replaced-by-40-pence-equivalent.html | work=The Daily Telegraph | first=Caroline | last=Gammell | title=Gavin Turk brick worth £3,000 is stolen and replaced by 40 pence equivalent | date=8 December 2009}}</ref>

In May 2011, Turk's first large-scale, 12-metre public sculpture was unveiled between the [[One New Change]] City mall, designed by [[Pritzker Prize]]-winning architect [[Jean Nouvel]], and [[St Paul's Cathedral]].

In 2017 Turk placed an unofficial [[blue plaque]] commemorating [[Damien Hirst]] at Newport Street Gallery in London.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Damien Hirst—The Collector|url=https://fineartmultiple.com/blog/damien-hirst-collector-gavin-turk/|access-date=2022-12-04|website=fineartmultiple.com}}</ref>

In September 2021, Gavin Turk made a piece called ''Piscio D'Artista'' whereby he canned his own urine and sold it for its weight in silver through Kickstarter, as an homage to [[Piero Manzoni]]'s 1961 art piece [[Artist's Shit]] ''Merda D'Artista'', in which Manzoni canned his own excrement and sold it for its weight in gold.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gavin Turk On Selling Cans of His Own Urine |url=https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/gavin-turk-interview |access-date=2022-03-28 |website=Widewalls |language=en}}</ref>

==Exhibitions==
[[File:Bag.jpg|thumb|right|100px|Gavin Turk, ''Bag'', 2000]][[File:Gavin Turk, Bum, 1998.jpg|thumb|left|100px|Gavin Turk, ''Bum'', 1998]]Turk has exhibited widely internationally. His solo exhibitions include 'L'Amour Fou', David Nolan Gallery, New York City (2013), 'Türk', Galerist, Istanbul, Turkey (2012), 'Gavin & Turk', Ben Brown Gallery, London (2013), 'Jack Shit!', Aeroplastics, Brussels, Belgium (2011), 'Before The World Was Round', Galerie Krinzinger, Vienna, Austria (2011) and 'En Face', Galerie Almine Rech, Paris, France (2010), 'The Mirror Stage', Goodman Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa (2009),<ref>Goodman Gallery artist's page: [http://www.goodman-gallery.com/artists/gavinturk 'Gavin Turk, solo exhibition: The Mirror Stage'. Retrieved 14 May 2013.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130610065144/http://www.goodman-gallery.com/artists/gavinturk |date=10 June 2013 }}</ref> 'Burnt Out', Kunsthaus Baselland, Basel, Switzerland (2008), 'Piss Off', Galerie Krinzinger, Vienna, Austria (2008) and 'Negotiation of Purpose', GEM Museum for Contemporary Art, The Hague, Netherlands (2007). Additionally, Turk has had solo exhibitions at Sean Kelly Gallery, New York (2005), the New Art Centre Sculpture Park and Gallery, Salisbury, England (2003), the New Art Gallery in Walsall, England (2002), and "The Stuff Show" at South London Gallery (1998).<ref>Preece, R. J. (2005) [http://www.artdesigncafe.com/gavin-turk-interview-2005a 'Gavin Turk interview']. ''artdesigncafe''. Retrieved 14 May 2013.</ref>

Recent group exhibitions include 'Street', New Art gallery Walsall (2012), 'Made in Britain: Contemporary Art from the British Council Collection', Sichuan (2012), 'Deja-vu? The Art of Copying from Dürer to You Tube', Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe, Germany (2012), 'Twenty', Aurel Scheibler, Berlin, Germany (2012), 'The Art of Chess', Bendigo Gallery; University of Queensland Art Museum, Australia (2012), 'Identity Theft', Mimmo scognamiglio Arte Contemporanea, Milan, Italy (2010), 'Pop Life: Art in a Material World', Tate Modern, London (2009), 'The Third Dimension, Whitechapel Art Gallery', London (2009), 'DLA Piper Series: This is Sculpture', Tate Liverpool, Liverpool (2009), Turk has also been involved in "teach-in" events such as "The Che Gavara [''sic''] Story" (2001).<ref>Jones, Jonathan. (22 January 2001). [https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2001/jan/22/artsfeatures.argentina 'Glad to be Che'], ''The Guardian''. Retrieved 16 January 2010.</ref>

== Politics ==
In August 2014, Turk was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to ''[[The Guardian]]'' expressing their hope that Scotland would vote to remain part of the United Kingdom in September's [[2014 Scottish independence referendum|referendum on that issue]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/aug/07/celebrities-open-letter-scotland-independence-full-text |title=Celebrities' open letter to Scotland – full text and list of signatories |work=The Guardian |location=London |date=7 August 2014 |access-date=26 August 2014}}</ref>

In November 2018, Turk was one of 82 people arrested during a coordinated occupation of five bridges in Central London. The demonstration which was co-ordinated by [[Extinction Rebellion]], was to raise the awareness of [[climate change]]. Turk said, "It seems like everyone is in an odd sense of denial about climate change."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Laville |first1=Sandra |title=Artist Gavin Turk arrested in London climate change protest |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/18/artist-gavin-turk-arrested-in-london-climate-change-protest |access-date=18 November 2018 |work=The Guardian |date=18 November 2018 |language=en}}</ref>

==The House of Fairy Tales==
{{Main|The House of Fairy Tales (London)}}
In 2007 Turk established, with his partner Deborah Curtis, The House of Fairy Tales, a children's arts charity based in London, that brings together hundreds of artists, performers, actors, writers and philosophers to deliver theatrical events, guides and exhibitions. The project continues to further community education projects based around, supported by, and advocating art. The House of Fairy Tales tour the country in a mobile gallery horse box which made its festival debut at the 2008 [[Crunch Festival]] in Hay-on-Wye. In 2009, they appeared at the Glastonbury Festival.<ref>[http://www.thehouseoffairytales.org/index.php '][[The House of Fairy Tales (London)]] website'. Retrieved 16 January 2010.</ref> In the summer of 2009, The House of Fairy Tales also staged ''The Long Weekend'', a pop-up festival for all ages, hosted by [[Tate Modern]].

==Awards==
[[File:Gavinturkportraitpetemillson.tiff|thumb|Gavin Turk in 2001]]
In 2001, Turk was awarded the Jack Goldhill Sculpture Prize for his work ''Bag'' (2000) by the Royal Academy of Arts, London, who in 2007 also awarded him the Charles Wollaston award for his work ''Dumb Candle'' (2007), a carving of a candle made from the top of an old broom handle.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Gavin Turk {{!}} Artnet|url=http://www.artnet.com/artists/gavin-turk/|access-date=2021-04-30|website=www.artnet.com}}</ref>

==Professorship==

Turk was awarded an honorary doctorate in Arts, University of East London in 2010. He held the post of professor of Art and Design 2012–2020 at [[Bath Spa University]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Weldon and Hensher head to Bath Spa|url=http://www.thebookseller.com/news/weldon-and-hensher-head-bath-spa.html|work=The Bookseller|access-date=9 November 2012|archive-date=6 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140506210245/http://www.thebookseller.com/news/weldon-and-hensher-head-bath-spa.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Notes and references==

{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.gavinturk.com The Official Site for Gavin Turk]
* [http://www.houseoffairytales.org The Official Site for The House of Fairy Tales]
* [http://www.royaljellyfactory.com/newartupclose/turk-iv.htm Clippings from an interview by David Barrett]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060927183829/http://www.sculpture.org.uk/artists/GavinTurk Gavin Turk] at Sculpture.org.uk
* [https://www.theguardian.com/dome/article/0,,330959,00.html BAe/Marconi and the Millennium Dome]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090119110031/http://globeathay.org/flowplayer/video.htm Video of panel debate with Gavin Turk]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160303171713/http://www.theartnewspaper.tv/content.php?vid=768 Gavin Turk talks to www.theartnewspaper.tv about Duck Rabbit at Frieze 2009]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8260000/8260311.stm Gavin Turk on BBC4, discussing the impact of Charles Saatchi on the modern art world]
* [https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/jul/16/gavin-turk-house-fairy-tale-camp-bestival Gavin Turk discussing The House of Fairy Tales with The Guardian newspaper]
* [http://paulstolper.com/Artists/Details/27-gavin-turk  Gavin Turk Transit Disaster at Paul Stolper Gallery, London 2012] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190507233304/http://paulstolper.com/Artists/Details/27-gavin-turk |date=7 May 2019 }}
{{Young British Artists}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Turk, Gavin}}
[[Category:1967 births]]
[[Category:Academics of Bath Spa University]]
[[Category:Alumni of Chelsea College of Arts]]
[[Category:Alumni of the Royal College of Art]]
[[Category:20th-century British sculptors]]
[[Category:British male sculptors]]
[[Category:21st-century British sculptors]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People educated at City of London Freemen's School]]
[[Category:English contemporary artists]]
[[Category:20th-century British male artists]]